Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Ryan Kesler leads hot pickups for this week
By Evan Berofsky, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
The Leafs can’t stop scoring, the Coyotes can’t score, and the Red Wings are letting everyone score on them. Most probably expected one or even all three of these situations to occur, but it’s still early and circumstances are bound to change as the season progresses.
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While initial observations are often impulsive, they sometimes prove necessary to avoid disappointment. You’re looking at live boxscores when you see a player who’s dominating a game and is available in your league. Check recent trends to see if he’s worth a pickup. Can you add him to your roster and not have to release someone else who provides significant value? If at first you believe this can’t be done, look deeper into the stats to make an informed decision. You may have to drop a personal favorite, but if he’s not performing adequately and doesn’t appear to be improving, it’s probably time to let go.
In addition to the following recommendations, you can check out last week’s referrals. In subsequent installments, we’ll include a running list of players from past columns who still don’t earn enough fantasy attention.
(Ownership rates/stats as of Oct. 18)
FORWARDS
Ryan Kesler, ANH (12% owned on Yahoo): It’s a minor miracle Kesler is back this soon after problems following his 2017 hip surgery. With Ryan Getzlaf injured, the Michigander vaults to the top of the Anaheim center charts. Kesler will not be pushed too hard for fear of re-injury, but he still possesses sufficient skills — like the two goals from Wednesday — to deliver solid fantasy results.
Tyler Johnson, TB (33% owned on Yahoo): The Triplets recently got the band back together, with the reunion tour sure to pay dividends. Ondrej Palat must be glad to see his old linemates, but Johnson stands to benefit the most after recently toiling in the bottom-six. The undrafted pivot followed a two-assist effort with a flashy hat-trick on Tuesday. Johnson’s value is mainly tied to his place alongside Nikita Kucherov, but Tampa’s talent up front provides him with plenty of opportunities, regardless of placement.
Jonathan Drouin, MON (19% owned on Yahoo): While Tomas Tatar is just as under-appreciated and boasts a better stat line, Drouin promises a higher upside. The third pick from 2013 potted two goals Monday and serves as a mainstay on Montreal’s top power play. The Habs aren’t blessed with many scoring options, but Drouin qualifies as their most talented commodity.
Chris Tierney, OTT (14% owned on Yahoo): When Tierney came over from San Jose, he probably wasn’t expected to regularly contribute. Yet here he is after six games with eight points — four of those on the man-advantage. A drop will inevitably occur, but Tierney should be able to top his career-high of 40 points from a year ago.
Kevin Labanc, SJ (22% owned on Yahoo): Labanc made a positive fantasy impression after racking up 17 power-play points last season. Though the initial schedule hasn’t produced anything similar, the sixth-round selection from 2014 struck for four assists last Tuesday as a point-man on the second power-play and comprising the right side of the Sharks’ first line.
David Krejci, BOS (16% owned on Yahoo): Krejci may be 32, but he’s averaged in the mid-50s over the previous four full campaigns. There’s no shame serving as the second center in Boston with a decent supporting cast and above-average man-advantage groupings. Also, if Patrice Bergeron ever went down, imagine how valuable Krejci would look between studs Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
Mats Zuccarello, NYR (31% owned on Yahoo): To be honest, any current Rangers forward whose surname begins with Z would’ve earn consideration here. It’s easy to forget Zuccarello led the club in scoring four of the last five seasons, especially with the Blueshirts in the midst of a rebuild. The Norwegian dynamo has once again found the score sheet in the early going with five assists while skating nearly 20 minutes a night.
Andreas Athanasiou, DET (6% owned on Yahoo): While Detroit’s defensive situation can best be described as a hot mess, there’s enough promise at the other end to hold out hope for the franchise. Athanasiou is part of the Wings’ next wave of forwards and can hurt opponents with his stick and speed. He’s started slowly but registered a pair of goals Monday and has fired 13 shots on net over the last three contests.
DEFENSEMEN
Josh Morrissey, WPG (26% owned on Yahoo): After three pro seasons, Morrissey hadn’t produced very much. But when Dustin Byfuglien was sidelined for Sunday’s outing, the 23-year old joined Patrik Laine on the point of Winnipeg’s deadly power-play quintet, where he’s supplied a pair of assists. Even when Big Buff returns, Morrissey should still see enough offensive opportunities as the Jets’ best left-handed defender.
Dylan DeMelo, OTT (4% owned on Yahoo): Fellow Senator D-men Thomas Chabot and Max Lajoie have already been snapped up in most leagues, but DeMelo can still be had in many formats. The ex-Shark has benefited from his partnership with Chabot by chipping in with a goal and four assists to go along with a sparkling plus-8. Considering DeMelo tallied 20 points (all assists) in 2017-18, don’t expect this scoring stretch to continue all season.
Samuel Girard, COL (5% owned on Yahoo): Another product of Nashville’s rearguard assembly line, Girard was acquired by Colorado in last year’s Matt Duchene swap meet and went on to post 20 points, including 12 on the power-play. He’s started this season with three assists, registering two of those on the Avs’ second man-advantage unit.
Damon Severson, NJ (1% owned on Yahoo): Before Will Butcher was touted as Jersey’s next hot young blueliner, Severson served the same role. In terms of personal achievements, the 31-point effort in 2016-17 signifies his pinnacle. With Butcher and Sami Vatanen around, the pressure to produce appears to have been lifted from Severson, as he’s recorded an assist in each of his first four contests.
GOALTENDERS
Anders Nilsson, VAN (13% owned on Yahoo): Jacob Markstrom maintains his mediocrity while Thatcher Demko awaits his starting job inheritance, but Nilsson has stepped in to become the Canucks’ current main man in net. Buoyed by three consecutive road wins, the slightly younger Swede (Markstrom is two months older) will surely be allowed to continue his run until the inevitable Vancouver regression.
Craig Anderson, OTT (35% owned on Yahoo): Perhaps Anderson never got the respect playing in Ottawa all this time, but his career numbers compare favorably with other contemporaries. The Sens may struggle the next few months, but the American netminder should receive the bulk of the starts and would pay off if your league counts saves as a category.
